Journey to the Stars
by x-Goody2Shoes-x
Summary: 751 word oneshot on what I consider a special moment between a special couple. Based on the movie musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." GideonXAlice. Constructive criticism encouraged. Dedicated to xXc0okieSsNcrEamXx .


**Journey to the Stars.**

_AN: I always wondered, during this scene, for a few brief moments, when watching the brothers go through Echo Pass, Alice and Gideon seem very "lost in their world." And I know Alice fights, but she certainly seems to put up not much of a fight compared to the others… and thus, this idea was conceived. I'm still not sure if I like this, but maybe you guys can tell me what you think in a review… hint, hint. _

_I don't own Seven Brides for Seven Brothers._

My eyes grew round as dinner plates as we sped underneath the stars, nearly shrouded by fluffy, purple clouds from which a constant whirl of snow fell in these winter months. The freezing night wind howled and tore past our faces as the sleigh powered forward. The other girls screamed and sobbed, clutching at their blankets as they struggled in vain to tear themselves away from the brothers - who were laughing! Laughing! Even Gideon!

"We need to stop that yellin'! We're comin' to the pass!" Yelled a gruff voice. "Keep quiet, or else we'll have an avalanche down on us!" I felt a rough, leather-gloved hand clap itself over my mouth and I could only whimper through the material. I wriggled furiously in the arms of him - who did he think he was, that Gideon Pontipee? I'd thought he was a real sweetheart - shy, a superb dancer, the softest, most trusting eyes I'd ever had the pleasure of gazing into… and yet here he was, spiriting me away from my family. My parents! What would they think? I knew my father would be crazy with worry… and suddenly my stomach squirmed. Father was a parson. He married people. Our house had always been a religious one… the idea of wild, mountain people stealing me away would be heartbreaking to him. I was suddenly afraid. I'd trusted Gideon… far more so than any of the dull-headed suitors who'd come calling, in their fancy suits and smarmy ways… and yet, I was suddenly frightened. Mother had told tales of girls who had been kidnapped by rough men, with no morals and little knowledge of how to treat a wife. Those girls had been shamed… never able to return to their home, never able to hold their heads high in society again… men with fondness for feminine girls, with long, naturally curled hair, and round, pale eyes… I gave a dry sob and clutched desperately at Gideon's wrist, almost as if trying to convey my panicked thoughts to him.

And then suddenly, everything was quiet. An unnatural quiet. It was as if all the sounds had been muffled - the girls' desperate shrieking had turned to subdued whimpers, the brothers' raucous laughter had turned to hushed wariness. Even the steady thumping of the horses' hooves against the tightly packed snow had turned to silence. I looked up warily - tears studded my eyelashes like pearls, so I saw rainbows wherever I looked… but through the multicoloured prisms of light, I saw the cautious, weather-beaten face of Gideon Pontipee.

And to this day, I don't know if it was because that rainbow made me see him in a better light, but I suddenly felt - I felt his hand, pressed firmly, but gently, against my frozen lips; his other arm wound tightly around my waist, yet his hand stayed screwed into a fist. I felt his cheek, pressed into the side of my head, yet, not deliberately; gently, softly. I saw him preventing my screams, not just to prevent capture, but to save my life from the towering snowy cliff tops way above our heads, from the real danger that was there.

I slowly reached up with my free hand, and gently, cautiously wound my pale fingers around his wrist - as soon as he felt my touch, his worried eyes lowered to mine - the world stood still. I dimly registered that I'd stopped struggling. All I could see were those eyes - those gentle, promising, brown eyes - and the bejewelled twilight above.

And for a few, brief moments, I forgot.

I forgot my worry, my anger, my fright, my sadness, my humiliation, my indignation. I forgot my parents, and home. I forgot the brothers, and the girls. I forgot the cold. I forgot everything - everything but the feel of his arms around me, holding me against my will, but gently, so, so gently. I forgot everything but those eyes, shining in the darkness, shining in what seemed to be not a desperate kidnap to the gates of lust-driven sin, but simply, a journey to the stars, and the heavenly wonders that lay beyond them.


End file.
